Made by the Wholeleaf Company, the plates are made in southern India from leaves that have naturally fallen to the ground. Usually these sheaths are burned, fed to animals or composted. The Wholeleaf Co turn them into plates and bowls by soaking the leaves in local spring water, and hot stamping them with a mould by hand to make the plate and then cutting away the rough edges. The heat also sterilises the plates. And that’s it. They are produced by marginalise rural people and claim that if all the fallen leaves were used in this way they would employ 300,000 people!

But how do they work? Very well is the answer. I would have thought being made out of wood that some juice of my dinner would seep through but no, they’re well sealed and not even that easy to cut with a normal knife.

As you can see from the picture they’re strong too, although maybe if I’d had another orange I may have caused a problem, but they’d be perfect for a barbeque or a buffet where holding the plate with one hand is needed. Also you can see how different each one looks, I think that’s part of the charm.

Although they’re a disposable product – just put them on the compost heap when you’re finished – I did try and wash one. A quick wipe and you can use them again, but soak one and it loses shape.

The Wholeleaf Co. supplied the BBC Good Food Show this year and have a huge range of products – bowls, dishes, plates and so on, take a look at the website for more details. Or go to Nigel’s Eco Store where they’re £11.75 for a set of 25 plates, they have bowls too.

Yes these plates are fantastic – great for that quirky look to a party or event. Just to let you know that a company called Biopac (UK) Ltd http://www.biopac.co.uk also sell these palm products. They sell them in larger quantities so they come out slightly cheaper. Great for events, weddings etc!

Hi im one third of The Whole Leaf Co. Adam thanks for the great review!! im glad you like the product. Now just to answer some of the questions regarding our pricing. Firstly we do not produce these plates, we buy them for a fair price from co-ops based in rural villages. Secondly the prices for wholesale(more than a 100) are cheaper. We at The Whole Leaf Co. are trying our best to try and get our prices much lower but without it affecting the people who produce the product. If anyone has queires or even wants samples of our products please feel free to contact me on hello@thewholeleafco.com or visit us on http://www.thewholeleafco.com

also just to let people know we will be selling our products through Oxfam around Feb which is great for us as it is a great organisation to be associated with and we are honoured.

Just wanted to say that Green Gate Bio Packaging sells high quality biodegradable and compostable fibre plates and bowls made from waste sugar cane pulp. They’re not quite as sturdy as the palm leaf plates but they’re much cheaper and a great eco alternative to paper plates.